Podcast: 1-on-1 Ft. U.S. Team/Boston Blazers coach Tom Ryan

The U.S. Indoor Lacrosse Team is in a much more advanced spot this fall compared to four years ago leading up to the 2007 World Indoor Championships in Halifax. Not just in talent but in groundwork and momentum. Part of the reaason is the continuity of head coach Tom Ryan, who will return behind the bench for the Americans in May, 2011 when they travel to Prague for the world championships.

Ryan, also the Boston Blazers head coach, joined the Inside Lacrosse 1-on-1 podcast on Sept. 21, less than a week before his U.S. Team takes on the Iroquois Nationals at the Oncenter Arena in Syracuse Sept. 25 for the Bowhunter Cup. The U.S. has finished third behind gold-medal winner Canada and runner-up Iroquois in the last two world indoor championships. in 2007, the Iroquois lost 15-14 in overtime to Canada in the final. Casey Powell, Joe Walters and Paul Rabil are among the U.S. stars playing Saturday against the Iroquois.

There's no question more and more Americans take up the indoor game in the National Lacrosse League every year. Ryan says the talent pool for this squad could be double what it was last time they picked the team in 2007. The first tryout was Sept. 11 in New Jersey, and they'll likely follow up with another in Baltimore Oct. 19 with a scrimmage against a local all-star group. From there Ryan says they'll get down to 33 players in November and name the 23-man travel roster in February.

We talked about the evolution and transition of Americans in the NLL, the particular challenge facing goalies, U.S. Developmental Indoor Team goalie Ginny Capicchioni, some other young up-and-comers like Kyle Hartzell and John Orsen as well as how things are going with Boston, the Blazers getting superstars Casey Powell and Josh Sanderson this offseason to pair with Dan Dawson and what's next for the NLL.